The race takes place in the ExCeL in docklands (Exhibition Centre London). From Wikipedia (where else? Interestingly though it didn't have much to say about the triathlon) see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExCeL_Exhibition_Centre The centre was opened in November 2000, and in May 2008, was acquired by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. Phase II was completed on 1 May 2010 and architecturally is pretty interesting - that is if you like brightly coloured over-sized tin sheds. This £164m expansion increased ExCeL's event space by 50% and added further meeting space, banqueting facilities and event space. The extension also includes a flexible 5,000 seat International Conference Centre (which up until now London had been lacking - an international sized centre). Its location on the northern quay of the Royal Victoria Dock between Canary Wharf and London City Airport certainly makes for a dramatic location in which to race, with the towers of Canary Wharf looming and planes taking off nearby.
The centre's waterfront location is used when it hosts the annual London Boat Show, with visiting vessels able to moor alongside the centre. I visited last year ~ well actually I went to the Bike and Outdoor Show which happened to be on at the same time and the tickets got you entry to all three. The bike show was a bit disappointing (put it this way there was nothing there to tempt me to buy or even much in the way of "kit envy") but the boat show was awesome! The size of the boats, the sheer "bling" and the no expense spared approach to the displays was breath-taking.
"The exhibition building itself consists of two column-free, rectangular, sub-dividable halls of approximately 479,493 square feet (approximately 44,546 m²) each on either side of a central boulevard containing catering facilities and information points." That description really doesn't do it justice. Just walking from one end to the other is tiring! The triathlon takes over one side, so the two days worth of bikes racked (13,000 + of them), the finish area, the expo, the registration area - all fit in with space to spare. It actually makes you feel quite small and insignificant! Outside, there are five hotels (more being built), more than 30 bars and restaurants plus 3700 parking spaces at ground level with an eye-watering £15 charge for 6 hours or more!
The dock was an immediate commercial success, as it could easily accommodate all but the very largest steamships. By 1860, it was already taking over 850,000 tons of shipping a year - double that of the London Docks, four times that of St Katharine Docks and 70% more than the West India Dock and East India Docks combined. It was badly damaged by German bombing in World War II but experienced a resurgence in trade following the war. However, from the 1960s onwards, the Royal Victoria experienced a steady decline - as did all of London's other docks - as the shipping industry adopted containerization, which effectively moved traffic downstream to Tilbury. It finally closed to commercial traffic along with the other Royal Docks in 1980. Some housing has been built along the southern side and bridge links them to the ExCeL area. It's a curious structure as the brief was that yachts still had to be able to sail under so you have to go up in a lift, along and down the lift the other side.
To digress again, you may remember that I thought I had Plantar Fasciitis (which is caused by the inflammation of the Plantar fascia - the thick connective tissue that runs from the heel to the metatarsal bones supporting the arch of the foot) back in race 7? You don't? Well I've been suffering from a painful foot for a few weeks now and I bit the bullet and booked an appointment at the Crystal Palace Sports Injury Clinic. Needless to say as soon as it was booked the pain virtually disappeared. However, I decided to go anyway and sure enough I actually have a proper sports injury! Very nice physiotherapist did a deep tissue massage and strapped the foot up ~ and when asked how long I should leave the strapping on, answered with a breezy 'as soon as it gets manky'. She was also amused at my technique of getting rid of the pain ~ do a triathlon. The wonder of the web is that you can find out all kinds of facinating stuff about any ache or pains for instance for a factual description see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fasciitis . Stating that it is "most common in people between the ages of 40 to 60 years" see http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Plantar-Fasciitis.htm while these two have loads of interesting facts but are basically trying to flog you stuff.
To digress again, you may remember that I thought I had Plantar Fasciitis (which is caused by the inflammation of the Plantar fascia - the thick connective tissue that runs from the heel to the metatarsal bones supporting the arch of the foot) back in race 7? You don't? Well I've been suffering from a painful foot for a few weeks now and I bit the bullet and booked an appointment at the Crystal Palace Sports Injury Clinic. Needless to say as soon as it was booked the pain virtually disappeared. However, I decided to go anyway and sure enough I actually have a proper sports injury! Very nice physiotherapist did a deep tissue massage and strapped the foot up ~ and when asked how long I should leave the strapping on, answered with a breezy 'as soon as it gets manky'. She was also amused at my technique of getting rid of the pain ~ do a triathlon. The wonder of the web is that you can find out all kinds of facinating stuff about any ache or pains for instance for a factual description see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fasciitis . Stating that it is "most common in people between the ages of 40 to 60 years" see http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Plantar-Fasciitis.htm while these two have loads of interesting facts but are basically trying to flog you stuff.
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/foot/plantarfaciitis.htm and http://www.painfreewalking.co.uk/plantar-fasciitis-pain.html Anyway, she showed me how to use strapping, how to massage it using a tennis ball and sent me on my way.
Back to the race - finally! Registered and racked my bike after a very slow journey to the venue. Combination of road closures due to the event and all the pre-Olympic digging up of roads, resurfacing the Olympic routes (well we can't have athletes or visitors going along our normally patched roads), utilities ...... Sorted all my kit out and got talking to the adjacent "rack-ee" Stephen Slade about such things as kit, what we might buy at the expo, what triathlons we'd done and so forth. We also had a look at the layout of where you'd run in, bike out etc. especially as a few competitors already racing were coming into the transition looking hopelessly lost and unable to find their bike/run kit. In an exhibition hall like this even though the rows are marked (for instance I was in row N - but there were three row N's) its useful to have a recognisable landmark to aim for. It's easy at event like Blenheim as all you do is run along your row until you come to the statue of a man in a toga/ Venus/ Bacchus or urn. Got talking to my neighbouring competitor (Steven Slade) about my concerns and he pointed out that fortunately we were near one of the big entry doors so all we had to do was aim for a big S3 on the wall.
Shopping was next on the agenda as I'd purposely arrived a couple hours before my 4:10 start to a) shop and b) take photos. Well the recession certainly seems to be hitting harder now as the expo was much smaller than in previous years and was mainly full of sale items (good!) but little top end "stuff" (not so good) and nothing of innovation or in the must have category (bad). Oh well it meant I didn't spend too much ~ new tri-shorts (as the chamois on my current pair is rather thin now making the cycle less than comfortable) in blue to co-ordinate with my Prostate Cancer top and a new helmet which means I can consign my commuter one to the bin, and downgrade my current race helmet to be my commuter one.
Then off to take some photos. First stop the holding pen where you got your motivational talk, encouraged to man-hug your neighbour and given a bit of a safety briefing. You get some indication of the scale as everything behind that group of swimmers is the transition and full of bikes (I was racked at the far end of the hall virtually out of sight). Then it was follow the swimmers downstairs (as the halls were above the car parking) which of course is reversed at the end of the swim when you have to run up stairs to get to transition. This of course meant stepping outside. Oh my goodness the heat ~ all the hard surfaces just radiated it ~ it was going to be a very hot race! Then it was watching the swimmers in some of the biggest waves of any of the races I've been in. means its quite congested and you get "jostled" quite a bit.
It was the first race I've watched where quite so many people had to be rescued. It is daunting swimming in a wetsuit, in a mass of swimmers in open water. Remembering the first time I did it I was petrified as you can't put your feet down ~ in fact you can't even see them the water was so murky. The safety crews were spectacularly efficient and sympathetic, a job not made easier as some of the competitors couldn't speak English (well not in a stressful state at any rate). One woman plucked out had supporters on the dockside having to shout a translation to the canoeist. The raised paddle means that the person wants to leave the water (rather than just need a rest) and a inflatable motored around collecting all of them.
It was then a wander down the dockside to watch some of the runners. The run course basically follows the dock edge, past the charity supporters who give a big cheer especially when they see a competitor in one of their tops (Prostate Cancer weren't there but thanks to the girls supporting Macmillan, who gave me a big cheer when I was running ~ cancer charity solidarity!) Then you turn round a traffic cone run back along the dock edge past the charity supporters, up a ramp back into the ExCeL centre passed the crowds and out onto your second lap.
I decided I didn't have time to make it to the bike course as the walk back to the bike was going to take some time. It did ~ nearly 20 minutes. However returned to find that Steven had also been doing some shopping and was now proud owner of an aero-drinking bottle.
It was time to suit up and and answer some queries from a very nervous youngster (this wasn't an age group race, we were all mixed together although it was an all male wave). Steve and I tried to reassure him that open water swimming wasn't all that difficult, neither was swimming in a wet suit and that if he was a bit concerned start near the back and to one side to keep out of trouble. I think he felt a bit better but remembering my first time ....
It was then time to make our way to the holding pen for the motivational speech, the banter and the man-hugs. Surprisingly little in the way of a race briefing, they'd assumed you'd read all the race information before hand. So there were a few last minute "how many laps of the bike/run course" type of queries. The confident swimmers were encouraged to go down the stairs first to the dock while the rest of us had a scramble to see who could be last! The crowds around the start and finish areas were pretty vocal so it got you in the right frame of mind. I started at the back on the left hand side nearest the dock. The swim went pretty well normal ~ breast stoke, congestion around the turn buoys, begin to overtake the free-stylers that had gone too fast to start with, half way round the momentary 'what am I doing' and 'it seems a long way to go' before realising I was nearly there and had made it! A quick run through the shower then unique for this race, you have to take your wetsuit off, bag it up with the assistance of a marshal, before proceeding to the transition. I assume that this is keep the floor of the ExCeL dry (ish) otherwise it would become pretty treacherous. The other unique thing about this transition is you have to run upstairs! It was also a long run around transition carrying a bag with a wetsuit, to get to your bike. Then it was on with the gear and off on the bike. As you know this is my favourite discipline by a long way (I've often wondered why I didn't take up cycle racing rather than triathlons ~ suppose it as just the people I knew at the time).
A great bike leg (from looking at the results I think I was about 10th fastest) and as you can see from this amazing website I was really enjoying myself http://www.tri247.com/triviewer/GE.html#r=9693 (just put in my surname and look at the race unfold). it also allows you to look at graphs and charts, zoom in and out - you can have hour of fun if you like that kind of thing. Anyway, had loads of fun on the bike exchanging words with a couple of others due to the rather painful effect that those yellow painted rumble strips have while cycling at speed and the anti-skid rumble areas in the approach to a roundabout. They may be a barely perceivable noise or vibration in a car but on a bike with skinny race tyres at 140-160 psi they were a little alarming and 'uncomfortable' to say the least! that apart the bike course isn't the most attractive basically being a dual carriageway with a rather 'cheeky' incline up and over the River Lea which was catching a number of the cyclist out.
Then it was onto the run. Again it seemed a long way from transition to the start of the course - which it was as it was the length of the ExCeL centre. Down the ramp which help the legs get moving a bit (though it was painful on the way back up at the end of the lap) and into the sun. As I said before, the support was fantastic and it certainly spurred you on. The organisers had also provided a shower to run through as well as drinking water/energy gel stations to keep you cool and hydrated. As you can see from the Tri24/7 replay, I wasn't the fastest of runners but eventually made it.
It was then just the long walk back to transition (seemed to spend a lot of time walking!) to collect all the gear together and trade results and experiences with Steve and the other finishers. Packed up the car and off straight into a jam of all the others leaving couple with the traffic chaos of all the road closures. Briefly it took me nearly two and half hours to get home (some 10 miles which the AA journey planner suggests should only take 30 minutes). Then off out to see Jonny and Ju off (back to NZ to get married) and discuss my triathlon experience with trent who was doing the full Olympic on Sunday. Needless to say apart from a brief trip to the gym to sort out some stiffness, my Sunday was going to be spent on the sofa with the papers.
Undoubted this race is an amazing experience just from the sheer scale, numbers of competitors and support received. I suppose the downside is it is a little impersonal and lacks the friendliness and interaction of some of the smaller races. There is also the cost as it is by no means cheap though the organisers would argue that they have to do a lot to make it happen, especially on Sunday when the have road closures all the way down to the Houses of Parliament for the Olympic length races. The cost also comes into account as I'm sorry I do resent paying £12:00 for a single digital download so apologies there won't be any pictures of me racing. However if you want to see me coming out of the water, cycling, running and the 'man-hugs' follow this link and put in my surname. http://www.sportcam.net/CompetitorSearch.aspx?RId=430
Result: 108th male out of 1175 (110th out of 1737 total) in a time of 1:24:39
Shopping was next on the agenda as I'd purposely arrived a couple hours before my 4:10 start to a) shop and b) take photos. Well the recession certainly seems to be hitting harder now as the expo was much smaller than in previous years and was mainly full of sale items (good!) but little top end "stuff" (not so good) and nothing of innovation or in the must have category (bad). Oh well it meant I didn't spend too much ~ new tri-shorts (as the chamois on my current pair is rather thin now making the cycle less than comfortable) in blue to co-ordinate with my Prostate Cancer top and a new helmet which means I can consign my commuter one to the bin, and downgrade my current race helmet to be my commuter one.
I decided I didn't have time to make it to the bike course as the walk back to the bike was going to take some time. It did ~ nearly 20 minutes. However returned to find that Steven had also been doing some shopping and was now proud owner of an aero-drinking bottle.
It was time to suit up and and answer some queries from a very nervous youngster (this wasn't an age group race, we were all mixed together although it was an all male wave). Steve and I tried to reassure him that open water swimming wasn't all that difficult, neither was swimming in a wet suit and that if he was a bit concerned start near the back and to one side to keep out of trouble. I think he felt a bit better but remembering my first time ....
A great bike leg (from looking at the results I think I was about 10th fastest) and as you can see from this amazing website I was really enjoying myself http://www.tri247.com/triviewer/GE.html#r=9693 (just put in my surname and look at the race unfold). it also allows you to look at graphs and charts, zoom in and out - you can have hour of fun if you like that kind of thing. Anyway, had loads of fun on the bike exchanging words with a couple of others due to the rather painful effect that those yellow painted rumble strips have while cycling at speed and the anti-skid rumble areas in the approach to a roundabout. They may be a barely perceivable noise or vibration in a car but on a bike with skinny race tyres at 140-160 psi they were a little alarming and 'uncomfortable' to say the least! that apart the bike course isn't the most attractive basically being a dual carriageway with a rather 'cheeky' incline up and over the River Lea which was catching a number of the cyclist out.
It was then just the long walk back to transition (seemed to spend a lot of time walking!) to collect all the gear together and trade results and experiences with Steve and the other finishers. Packed up the car and off straight into a jam of all the others leaving couple with the traffic chaos of all the road closures. Briefly it took me nearly two and half hours to get home (some 10 miles which the AA journey planner suggests should only take 30 minutes). Then off out to see Jonny and Ju off (back to NZ to get married) and discuss my triathlon experience with trent who was doing the full Olympic on Sunday. Needless to say apart from a brief trip to the gym to sort out some stiffness, my Sunday was going to be spent on the sofa with the papers.
Undoubted this race is an amazing experience just from the sheer scale, numbers of competitors and support received. I suppose the downside is it is a little impersonal and lacks the friendliness and interaction of some of the smaller races. There is also the cost as it is by no means cheap though the organisers would argue that they have to do a lot to make it happen, especially on Sunday when the have road closures all the way down to the Houses of Parliament for the Olympic length races. The cost also comes into account as I'm sorry I do resent paying £12:00 for a single digital download so apologies there won't be any pictures of me racing. However if you want to see me coming out of the water, cycling, running and the 'man-hugs' follow this link and put in my surname. http://www.sportcam.net/CompetitorSearch.aspx?RId=430
Result: 108th male out of 1175 (110th out of 1737 total) in a time of 1:24:39
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